Eastern Michigan University’s Professional Programs and Training is excited to share our new Director of our OSHA Education Center, John Rupp, Jr!
With a background in workplace safety and as a longtime instructor at EMU PPAT, we’re fortunate to have him on board as the new Director. If you’ve taken health and safety classes with us, he’s probably a familiar face.
We had the opportunity to sit down with John to dive deeper into his expertise, discuss the impact of the OSHA Education Center, and hear about his plans for the future.
Q: Can you share a bit of your professional background?
A:I’ve been at this for a long time. After being hired into a GM plant as a fork truck driver in the late 1970s, I was called on in the early 1980s to be part of the first efforts to address cumulative trauma disorders in the auto industry. The tri-party effort between OSHA, General Motors, and the United Auto Workers (UAW) to establish a shop-floor Ergonomics program began and continued successfully for six years.
From there, I stayed involved in safety in many capacities for the rest of my work career. This included working in the joint UAW-GM Health & Safety effort as a program developer for training, audits, and program implementation. Then, as a UAW Representative for Health and Safety, assisting local unions and their employers address safety issues and opportunities. I closed out my “day job” twelve years ago directing the efforts of UAW’s Health & Safety Department.
After retiring, and after my wife told me I had to “go do something because my hanging around the house was ruining her retirement,” I then embarked on the next part of my safety work.
Since then, I have been an Adjunct Instructor for Henry Ford College, teaching Industrial Safety in their Industrial Tech program, worked as a Loss Control Consultant for a prominent casualty and loss insurance company, provided safety consulting and training through my own company, continued my many years of instruction for EMU’s OSHA Education Center, and accepted an appointment from Governor Whitmer to the Michigan Board of Health and Safety Compliance and Appeals.
Q: What is your current role at EMU PPAT, and how long have you been working here?
A: I became Director at the end of October 2024. The Director provides leadership, direction, and support for operational staff while creating and pursuing a strategy for the ongoing success and growth of Eastern Michigan University’s noncredit occupational safety and health programs, specifically the Great Lakes OSHA Training Institute Education Center.
As the Director of the Great Lakes OSHA Education Center at Eastern Michigan University, I am committed to advancing workplace safety and health through impactful training and compliance education. As part of Engage @ EMU, we are committed to enhancing, navigating, and cultivating collaboration between the University and business and community entities.
I oversee a team of expert instructors and collaborate with safety professionals, corporate and labor leaders, and regulatory bodies to deliver OSHA-authorized programs that meet the evolving demands of today’s workplaces.
From foundational safety training to specialized courses in general industry, construction, and healthcare, our goal is to foster a culture of safety and preparedness in all sectors. Our Center serves as a resource for the Great Lakes region, providing the highest standards of OSHA training and guidance on regulatory compliance, hazard recognition, and injury prevention.
Q: What classes do you teach?
A: Many – OSHA Authorized Trainer classes, OSHA Outreach classes, Accident/Incident Investigation, Machine Guarding, OSHA Standards and Compliance, Safety and Health Management, and a couple more.
Q: What are you looking forward to now that you are the director of the OSHA Education Center?
A:I’ve been fortunate to join Engage @ EMU / Professional Programs and Training and become part of a mission-driven organization. This position has provided a capstone to my work over many years, directly assisting people in designing, improving, and maintaining safe workplaces by providing the knowledge and skills to participate in that process.
I also want to “carry the water” of those who worked to make the OSHA Education Center here at EMU a success. I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in one way or another since the first OSHA Education Center, the “Motor City OSHA Education Center,” was established in 1996 as a partnership between Eastern Michigan University and the United Auto Workers. Since then, I’ve worked with many committed professionals whose efforts have made this Center what it is today, one of the preeminent OSHA Education Centers in the country.
I particularly want to acknowledge Beth Stoner, the Director whose shoes I am filling. I promised Beth I would “carry the water” of her work, which made this a successful organization, and continue these noble efforts.
I will collaborate with our Great Lakes consortium partners, the United Auto Workers and the University of Cincinnati to maintain and expand our joint efforts. We, here at EMU, will also work to respond effectively to the OSHA Training Institute Education Center renewal RFP in the Spring of 2027 so this effort can continue moving safety in our Great Lakes Region forward.
Q: Where do you see the future of your role/the EMU OSHA Education Center? What is the importance of the EMU OSHA Education Center?
A: Nothing is more critical to workplace safety than talking about it. We should engage in open conversations with our co-workers, supervisors, team leaders, management, union leadership, and regulatory agencies like OSHA or MIOSHA. That’s the start, but awareness alone isn’t enough.
Education is the next step, transforming good intentions into real, life-saving action. At the EMU OSHA Education Center, we recognize that knowledge and effective training are the foundation of workplace safety. Our programs equip workers, supervisors, and employers with the skills they need to identify hazards, mitigate risks, and foster a culture of safety in every industry.
From construction sites to healthcare facilities, manufacturing plants to office spaces, proper training ensures safety isn’t just discussed—it’s implemented.
Q: What is your favorite part of your role working at PPAT?
A: The people I work with and those we teach. I am so fortunate to work with a great staff and a group of professional instructors to care for and educate those who join us in our classes.
Q: What do you love doing outside of work?
A: Hanging with my family, especially my granddaughter. She is 8 years old, my only grandchild, and my best buddy!
Doing anything and everything from sitting quietly watching “Big City Greens” to traveling in our RV and seeking small adventures, including a periodic Polar Plunge.
Great Lakes OSHA Education Center
Since 1995, Eastern Michigan University (EMU) Professional Programs and Training (PPAT) has served as an OSHA Training Institute Education Center (OTIEC), part of a national network of non-profit organizations authorized by OSHA to deliver occupational safety and health training to all levels of workers. Now partnered with the University of Cincinnati and the UAW Health and Safety Department to form the Great Lakes OSHA Education Center, Eastern Michigan University serves the Chicago Region (previously known as Region V) as the only OTIEC in Michigan.
To learn more about the program offerings at the OSHA Education Center, click here.